AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Isn’t there supposed to be another phase after that?” I blurted.
“Oh, the renaissance?” Lesya lifted one shoulder. “Yeah, but that’s more of a theoretical thing. That’ll only happen when you recognize that you can’t control everything in your life, you decide to surrender to the full experience of being in love, and you attain a higher state of enlightenment,” she said knowingly.
I blinked at her in shock. “A higher…?”
“You heard me.” She glanced up, then challenged, “What? Someone had to take that freaking fast-track meditation course after you and Johan broke up. It was nonrefundable.”
“And this is how you’re applying what you learned? Lovely.” I rolled my eyes again and sank lower in my seat. “In any case, none of that is pertinent here. I’m not in the melancholy, because Hugh and I were never in a relationship. We were friends. Text friends, as I said. And I told him flat out, from the very beginning, that I don’t do happily ever afters. That I simply can’t…” I said softly. “Even if I wanted to. So I may have left Cape Cod a bit… abruptly… rather than put either of us through a long, drawn-out goodbye. He stopped texting me after that.” I forced myself to shrug. “Probably for the best. I already have plenty of friends.”
Though none—none—like Hugh.
Lesya was quiet for a long moment before she finally spoke. “People can’t be kept in boxes, Oscar.” Her tone was mild and free of judgment, which only made her words harder to hear. “Simply labeling someone a lover doesn’t mean you’re truly in love with them, and labeling them a friend doesn’t mean?—”
“Stop.” I swallowed. “Don’t finish that statement.”
I lowered my eyes to my tablet again, though the words wouldn’t come into focus. Heat from Lesya’s stare spread across the side of my face, but I did my best to ignore it.
Lesya stayed quiet for the rest of the drive through the wet London night, and I let myself forget all about the conversation until after our late dinner meeting when I realized we were heading to the airport instead of back to the hotel.
“Where are we going? I thought we weren’t flying to Zurich until tomorrow.”
“I made a few phone calls while you were having appetizers. The Zurich meeting was moved to next week, and I told them it would need to be virtual.” She patted Frank’s small carrier, perched on the seat beside her. “We’re heading back to New York.”
“But—”
“You told me to find time in your calendar to meet with Chuckie, and I have. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” I repeated stupidly.
“No time like the present, as you always say. You’ll be meeting him in your office at one.”
“I’m sure he would have been fine with next week or?—”
She looked at me sharply. “He might have been fine with that, but I would not have. You being miserable makes my life miserable. Since you refuse to do anything about your love life, that leaves work to fill the gap. You’re happiest at work when you’re helping people reach their dreams. So that’s what you’re going to do, and you’re not going to complain about it.”
I briefly considered arguing with her, but then I imagined how nice it would be to sleep in my own bed. Plus, she was right. Something about Chuckie reminded me of myself at his age. He had so much drive and belief in the possibility of the future. He only saw life getting brighter and richer. If he had someone to help him get where he was going, the sky was the limit. Helping him reach his dreams was, as ever, more fun than running from my own.
“Okay. Let’s go home,” I said, settling back into the comfortable seat.
“Good. Besides,” she added, glancing down at my phone. “Your mother is insisting you attend your sister’s wedding shower. Did you forget to tell me about a Flower Family event for your calendar, Oscar?”
“No,” I said, crossing my arms and staring out into the wet night before glaring back at her. “I told them I couldn’t make it. We’re going to be in Brazil for the Samba Capital thing.”
She shot me a big smile. “Looks like London isn’t the only trip I’m cutting short.”
I stared back out at the blurry headlights catching in the raindrops sliding down the car window.
“Great,” I muttered.
The last thing I needed was another damned wedding event. And the fact my mother was holding my feet to the fire made it even worse. She knew I’d rather throw myself into shark-infested waters than disappoint her.
I sighed. Attending Hyacinth’s wedding shower, where all million of my stepsiblings would no doubt be their usual, ebullient selves, was more similar to shark-infested waters than I cared to admit.
At least with the sharks, you were allowed to run away as quickly as possible without anyone judging you for it.
12
HUGH
